* JPMorgan Chase & Co. is close to being named lead adviser on the IPO of Saudi Arabian Oil Co., or Saudi Aramco, which is expected to make a decision on the matter this week, insiders told CNBC. Morgan Stanley's work on Uber Technologies Inc.'s IPO reportedly hurt its chances to lead Saudi Aramco's, saying officials in the country were unhappy after Uber's stock fell in the first two trading days and remains below the IPO price.
* Fawry for Banking Technology and Electronic Payments SAE intends to enter the United Arab Emirates by 2019-end through a deal with one big UAE lender, Mohamed Okasha, the company's managing director, told Reuters. The Egypt-based company also plans to expand in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 2020.
* Sigal Mandelker, the U.S. Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will meet with the heads of seven UAE banks amid the U.S. government's efforts to further tighten sanctions against the Middle Eastern nation, Bloomberg News reported.
GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL
* UAE-based SHUAA Capital PSC
* Emirates NBD Bank PJSC
* The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates called on banks in the country to hire more Emiratis to meet their UAE nationals recruitment target before the end of the year, The National reported.
* A.M. Best affirmed the A- financial strength rating and "a-" long-term issuer credit rating of Abu Dhabi National Takaful Co. PSC
* A.M. Best affirmed the B+ financial strength rating and "bbb-" long-term issuer credit rating of Bahrain-based SNIC Insurance BSC with the outlooks on the ratings remaining negative.
* Kuwait Finance House KSCP said due diligence conducted on its proposed acquisition of Bahrain's Ahli United Bank BSC
* Kuwait's central bank has directed local banks to offer higher interest to saving accounts in the local currency compared to accounts in U.S. dollars, in a move aimed to encourage saving, according to Al Rai.
REST OF MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
* Bank Leumi le-Israel BM
* Anath Levin, former deputy CEO of Bank Hapoalim BM, has been appointed head of the Israeli arm of U.S. private equity firm BlackRock Inc., CTech reported. Levin, who also served as chief investment officer of Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd., will replace Alex Pollak.
* Union National Bank - Egypt SAE aims to increase its local market share to 3% by 2023-end from 1.1% at present, as well as to increase its 2019 profit by 60% year over year, Ihab el-Sewerky, the bank's managing director, told Amwal Al Ghad.
* Capital Intelligence Ratings affirmed the B+/B long- and short-term foreign- and local-currency ratings of Egypt, with stable outlooks on the long-term ratings.
* CI Ratings affirmed the long- and short-term foreign currency ratings of Bank Audi SAL
EAST AND WEST AFRICA
* Access Bank PLC's total comprehensive group income attributable to owners of the bank rose to 63.38 billion Nigerian naira in the first half from 34.83 billion naira a year ago. The bank had merged with peer Diamond Bank PLC
* Zenith Bank PLC
* Ethiopian central bank governor Yinager Dessie said the country should gradually liberalize its exchange rate regime but noted that a fully floating rate for the local birr currency is unlikely to happen within the next three years, Reuters reported.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA
* Peter Moyo, whom Old Mutual Ltd.
* A working group of the Association of African Central Banks is looking at ways to link the technology behind the Southern African Development Community Real Time Gross Settlement System with other payments systems in east and west Africa as part of efforts to form the world's largest free-trade zone, Lesetja Kganyago, governor of the South African Reserve Bank, told Bloomberg.
* The International Finance Corp., a member of the World Bank Group, has increased the $50 million credit line it set up in 2014 with Angola's Banco de Negócios Internacional SA under its global financing program, Macauhub wrote. BNI said the credit line will help enhance support to the country's business sector.
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Asia-Pacific: Japan's negative rates may continue; HKEx, Ping An to explore fintech
Deza Mones, Henni Abdelghani, Pádraig Belton and Mariana Aldano contributed to this report.
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